For persons with lower limb disorders (broken leg bones, leg-muscle strains or pulls, knee injuries, broken foot bones, etc.) there continues to be a need for improved axillary crutch designs to make ambulation easier. There also continues to be a need for improved axillary crutch designs having increased balance, stability and weight-bearing capabilities.
Conventional axillary crutches, made in the so-called brace-bow configuration, have a single tubular member extending down from two substantially parallel tubular members, whereby a rubber crutch tip fitted over the bottom of the single tubular member comes into contact with the floor as the user ambulates. The two substantially parallel tubular members are bowed at their lower extremities and are there connected to the single tubular member. All of the weight of the user is transmitted to the single tubular member.
In such conventional crutches, the surface of the crutch tip on the single tubular member which comes into contact with the floor is flat. These crutches can become unstable as the user applies rotative pressure to the crutch while ambulating. Also, as stated above, all of the user's weight is applied on the single tubular member, resulting in a concentrated weight distribution over a limited surface area. Further, the crutch tip at the bottom of the crutch tends to become worn because pressure is applied unevenly on the tip as the crutch is used. Overwear of the crutch tip can cause safety problems during ambulation.
Further, adjusting the height of the crutch to better fit the height of the user and adjusting the height of the handle on the crutch to further accommodate the user involves two independent and time-consuming steps on conventional crutches.
There remains a need for an improved axillary crutch which allows for easier ambulation by persons with lower-limb disorders, and provides increased balance, stability and increased weight-bearing capabilities. There also remains a need for an easy-to-use crutch height and handle adjustment mechanism which allows for one-step adjustment of crutch height and handle height.